


How Not to Court Your Associate: A Handbook

by mithrel



Category: Suits (TV)
Genre: Blanket Permission, Courtship, Friends With Benefits, M/M, Oblivious, Podfic Welcome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-22
Updated: 2012-01-22
Packaged: 2017-10-30 01:17:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/326149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mithrel/pseuds/mithrel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mike and Harvey have been sleeping together for three months.  Harvey isn’t satisfied.</p>
            </blockquote>





	How Not to Court Your Associate: A Handbook

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bballgirl3022](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bballgirl3022/gifts).



> So I watched Suits awhile ago, and I was trolling the lonely prompts on c_f to see if there were any I wanted to fill to get my feet wet. I saw a prompt from [](http://bballgirl3022.livejournal.com/profile)[**bballgirl3022**](http://bballgirl3022.livejournal.com/) : “all Harvey wants is to be loved, but he's too afraid to ask.” 2,200+ words wandering off prompt later… *headdesk* Thanks to [](http://krystalicekitsu.livejournal.com/profile)[**krystalicekitsu**](http://krystalicekitsu.livejournal.com/) for suggestions and acting as a sounding board, [](http://peppervl.livejournal.com/profile)[**peppervl**](http://peppervl.livejournal.com/) for suggesting the word war that allowed me to finish it, and [](http://sycophantastic.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://sycophantastic.livejournal.com/)**sycophantastic** for the beta and last minute ideas.

He and Mike have had this…thing between them almost since the beginning. It’s been three months since they said, “Fuck it, it’s not like we won’t get in trouble without this” and started sleeping together.

At first Mike was nervous, not sure of the rules. Understandable, since Harvey had made it clear time and again that he didn’t care about people, that Mike would never be a good lawyer if he kept getting emotionally involved with his clients.

And he knows Mike’s aware of the watercooler gossip, that he has a constant stream of one-night stands flowing through his apartment. It’s useful, and also true, to some extent. You can’t maintain an image as a heartless lawyer if it gets out you’ve gone soppy over a woman. But if he never sees anyone more than once… Plus, some of the people he sleeps with are dangerous; he can’t afford to get emotionally involved. He’s used sex as a tool before, although not often. It turns his stomach.

But Mike is good at keeping things all business, as it were. He doesn’t gush endearments during sex (which Harvey finds surprising), is careful to keep his appreciation to the physical, and never spends the night.

Still, Harvey’s seen Mike shooting puzzled glances his way lately, and he knows why. He doesn’t do relationships, and he doesn’t do long-term. By rights he should have kicked Mike to the curb by now.

And he really should consider it. The things that attracted him to Mike in the first place were the things that he’d made a point of criticizing. Mike _cared_ about people. Harvey had thought Mike would be different than all his other lovers, that, criticism or not, Mike’s caring about people would carry over into their–screw it, their _relationship._ But apparently “Don’t get close” is the one lesson Mike decided to take to heart.

Or else–Harvey feels his gut clench at the thought–Mike really _doesn’t_ care about him. He tries to tell himself that’s ridiculous, that Mike wouldn’t be here if he didn’t, but as Mike sighs and sits up to get dressed after their latest session the doubts rise again.

All it would take to resolve them would be one question. All he’d need to do is grab Mike’s wrist and pull him down again.

But he doesn’t.

***

The next day, he’s even more critical of Mike than usual. When Mike brings him the latest batch of legal briefs, he says, “Why didn’t you have these done an hour ago?”

Mike blinks. “Because I was filing the–”

Harvey cuts him off with a raised hand. “I don’t want to hear it.”

“But you _told_ me to–”

“Ah,” Harvey holds up the hand again.

Mike mutters something uncomplimentary and leaves.

Later, when he walks by Mike’s cubicle, he sees him hang up the phone, looking disgusted.

“Problem with the subpoena?”

Mike jumps. “It’s nothing, I can fix it, it’s just–”

“You’d better,” Harvey says, not bothering to listen to his explanation.

He doesn’t know why he’s trying to piss Mike off. Maybe he wants him to yell at him, tell him he’s being unreasonable, _something_ to prove he gives a damn. But he knows Mike cares about his job–that’s not the problem. Maybe, on some level, he’s trying to drive Mike away. If he breaks it off, that makes Harvey’s life simpler. But he’s a lawyer, not a shrink, so he tries to ignore the niggling of his subconscious.

***

When Mike next comes over, he brings it up, as he’s getting undressed. “What the hell is your problem?”

“Hm?”

“You’ve been riding me even harder lately than when I first started working for you.”

Harvey smirks. “I hope so, since we weren’t sleeping together then.”

Mike rolls his eyes. “Don’t change the subject. Why are you being so critical lately?”

A lesser man than Harvey would stammer, panic. But he’s not the best closer in New York for nothing. “You need to be on your A-game. Jessica’s been asking questions.”

Mike pales, and Harvey hates himself a little.

“Whatever, don’t worry about it now.”

But it takes awhile for the frown to leave Mike’s face, even considering what Harvey’s doing to him.

***

Whenever Harvey passes by Mike’s cubicle after that, he’s either typing, reading, on the phone, or more often, all three at once.

The guilt stabs at him again. Mike’s only doing this to himself because Harvey tried to deflect from his not-feelings.

He wants to calm Mike down, but every time he tells him to relax, Mike ignores him. He’s not even coming over in the evenings anymore. Way to shoot himself in the foot.

So he does something possibly stupid.

He buys something for Mike and sneaks it into his cubicle.

The next time Mike comes into his office to drop off a file, he’s looking confused as well as stressed.

“What’s the matter with you?”

“What? Nothing!” Mike says, and while it’s true Harvey has been critical of his performance in the past, he’s tried to ease up lately, not that it’s helped.

“Out with it! What’s your problem?”

Mike laughs, somewhat hysterically. “Problem? _Problem?!_ My _problem_ is that I’m working in a law office without a law degree and the higher-ups are getting suspicious!”

“Quiet!” Harvey hisses. His office is soundproofed, but he still doesn’t want Mike blurting it out like that.

He puts a hand on Mike’s shoulder, awkwardly. “Don’t worry about that. I took care of it.”

“You…you did?” Mike turns a look of such gratitude on him that Harvey thinks he might have been wrong about him not caring.

_Don’t be stupid, he’s just happy he gets to keep his job._

“Yeah, so you can relax. Maybe start coming over again.”

Mike blinks, like he’s surprised Harvey still wants him. “Okay.”

***

When Mike comes over, though, he’s still distracted, which Harvey finds insulting, given that he’s making up for the past sex-free week, with interest.

Harvey pulls off Mike’s chest, where he’s sucking a bruise. “Should I continue?”

“What? Oh, yeah, sure.”

Harvey snorts. “Now what?”

“I…it’s…stupid.”

“Spit it out.”

“Someone…someone…someoneleftateddybearinmycubicleandIdon’tknowwhy!”

If Harvey hadn’t been the one who left the thing there, he wouldn’t have understood any of that. As it is, he laughs slightly. “A teddy bear? Really?”

“Yeah, and I don’t know who or why, I mean, Rachel wouldn’t have done it, and unless it’s a prank…oh God, what if _Louis_ did it?!”

And that’s enough right there. “Louis? Nah, it was me.”

Mike stares at him. “You? _Why?_ "

Harvey shrugs, uncomfortable again. “It reminded me of you. Same blank expression, same atrocious taste in clothes…”

“Harvey, it was wearing a _vest._ And my clothes are fine!”

“Yeah, whatever. So now that the mystery’s solved, can we get back to the sex?”

Mike stares at him for a moment, then laughs, which Harvey takes as a yes.

***

So maybe his first gift didn’t work out the way he’d hoped. And yeah, maybe it was kinda lame, but Harvey’s used to being the pursued, not the pursuer. And anyway, most of his courtships consist of innuendo and smoldering looks followed by fucking. So he’s out of his depth.

He refuses to resort to things like flowers or chocolates, because A.) Mike’s a guy, and B.) he’s not that cliché. So he has to think of something else.

***

He drops his next gift off in Mike’s cubicle again (which is ridiculous, because it’s not like he won’t know who it’s from). Sure enough, a half hour into the workday Mike comes to his office to update him on the case, and says, “Are these from you?”

Harvey looks at the envelope. “What if they are?”

“Harvey, these are _Sox tickets._ How did you get them?”

“I am capable of using the Internet.”

“But you’re a _Yankees_ fan,” Mike says, spluttering and waving his arms around. “And these are behind first base! Why would you buy these?”

Great, he struck out again (no pun intended). He knew he shouldn’t have spent that much money. “What, a guy can’t show his appreciation for hard work? But I’m not going with you,” he adds, since he may be a little bit in love with Mike, but not enough to risk a breakup over a baseball game.

Mike pauses, then says quietly, “Wouldn’t expect you to,” and leaves, leaving Harvey wondering exactly how he meant that. 

***

He has no clue what else to get Mike, but he’s nothing if not resourceful. He does some digging and finds out Mike was president of the sci-fi club in high school. So he picks up a box set of _The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy_ and another of the _Robot_ novels. He doesn’t read sci-fi himself, but the people at the bookstore had been extremely helpful.

Mike doesn’t comment on the books that day, but in the evening he says, “You know, you could actually give me the stuff, instead of dropping it off like a stalker. And why are you giving me books I’ve already read?”

Harvey shifts uncomfortably, then turns it into a stretch. “I’m a busy man,” he says, ignoring the question, even as he realizes Mike _would_ have read them. “I can’t call you into my office all the time.”

“Why not?” Mike says. “You do anyway.”

Only one thing for it. Distract him. Fortunately, in the three months they’ve been together, he’s figured out all the most effective ways to take Mike’s mind off awkward topics.

But obviously books aren’t the answer either. He decides to try with the second set, since he did buy them, after all.

***

The _Robot_ books don’t work. Neither does the Blackberry, or the monogrammed handkerchief (What? He’s running out of ideas). All Mike’s doing is giving him more and more odd looks. By now Harvey’s almost getting desperate enough to try the flowers. Maybe his fears are right, and this is just sex for Mike.

Finally Mike confronts him in the office, the bastard, knowing he can’t distract him with sex at work. Harvey tries to duck out, but Mike gets between him and the door.

“Something you need?” Harvey drawls, knowing what’s coming.

“What is with you? You’ve been acting weird for weeks…are you sick? God you are, aren’t you, when were you gonna tell me?” Mike says, not letting him get a word in edgewise. “Is it serious? Gotta be, or you wouldn’t…it’s not cancer, is it?”

Harvey stares. He didn’t think Mike thought he was _that_ emotionally stunted. But there it is, the concern he’s been looking for, the _caring-about-people_ that is so Mike Ross.

“You _do_ care about me,” he blurts before he thinks (bad habit to get into, don’t do it again).

The concern is replaced by guilt, and a trace of panic. “Uh, yeah, I guess? Maybe? No, never mind!”

Harvey feels a smirk welling up. He can’t help it. “I _knew_ it! Everyone falls for me eventually, that’s why I don’t do long-term. And you’re especially susceptible. What have I told you about getting emotionally involved?”

“That it’s a bad thing, and I’ll never succeed as a lawyer if I do,” Mike recites, but then gets an expression on his face that’s close to defiance. “Alright, I care about you, OK? Are you just going to be smug and never let me hear the end of it, or are you going to break it off? I dunno why you haven’t already anyway.”

“Whoa, whoa!” Harvey says, holding up his hands, smirk sliding off his face. “Do _you_ want to break it off?”

Mike’s defiance abruptly drains away, leaving him looking defeated. “You _know_ I don’t!”

“Well, OK, then. Think before you say something like that. I might take you seriously.” And he dodges around an extremely confused Mike.

***

So now they’re back to the initial problem, only not exactly. Mike _does_ care about him, but isn’t letting himself show it, because he thinks Harvey doesn’t want that. After Harvey walked out of the office, Mike’s being a little more demonstrative–not much. He’s still not spending the night, and he still hasn’t said anything about _feelings_ after that day, but he does occasionally wait awhile before he leaves, lying next to Harvey with his head on his shoulder.

But Harvey wants more than that, and he doesn’t know how to get it. He’s tried subtly encouraging Mike, telling him how beautiful he is, how much he looks forward to these evenings, but that doesn’t work. And, even now, _he_ can’t admit he cares about Mike. It’s stupid, and self-sabotaging, but it’s true.

The only thing he can do, one night after Mike sighs softly and gets up to leave, is to grab his wrist like he’s thought of doing so many times, and yank him down again.

Mike lands with a “Wha-?” turning to look at Harvey, who still can’t say anything.

“Shut up,” Harvey says, and kisses him. It’s not like his normal kisses–normally he wants to be in charge, and there’s still a hint of that there, but he puts more of his feelings into it than he ever has before.

When they break apart, Mike’s looking at him in wonder. “You–”

“I said shut up,” Harvey growls, and the awe transforms to a grin.

“Yes, sir,” Mike says, and lies back down.


End file.
